While some scoff at the idea of rewatching a film or TV-show, true cinema enjoyers know that all your favorite directors, set and costume designers and actors tend to have a love of adding fun little details in their films. Some become the stuff of legends pretty quickly, others remained hidden for years until someone found them. 

We’ve gathered some of the best examples of cool, creative and downright bizarre easter eggs hidden in movies. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote the ones you liked the most and if any of you favorites weren’t mentioned, feel free to share them in the comments section below. 

#1 In The Princess And The Frog (2009) The Villain’s Shadow Turns This Wallpaper To Skulls And Crossbones In This Scene

Image credits: M_R_MISM

#2 Inside Out. “Kids” Movies Have The Best Details In My Opinion

Image credits: ArthurDent_XLII

#3 After Steven Spielberg Screened Schindler’s List (1993) For John Williams To Compose The Score, Williams Was So Moved He Had To Walk Outside For Several Minutes. Upon Returning Williams Said That The Movie Needed A Better Composer Than Him To Which Spielberg Replied “I Know, But They’re All Dead.”

Image credits: Pseudoruse

One underrated part of learning more and more movie easter eggs is that you can mildly amuse (or annoy) someone watching something for the first time. In some cases, this behavior has become so common that it actually spawns its own memes. 

For example, fans of the second Lord of the Rings film, the Two Towers, will generally bombard new viewers with the fact that actor Viggo Mortensen broke a toe in real life when he kicked a helmet on screen. His cry of pain is completely real and the director, Peter Jackson decided to simply leave it in the film. 

#4 In Erin Brockovich (2000), Erin, Played By Julia Roberts, Is Ordering Food At A Restaurant. She’s Being Waited On By Julia, Played By Erin Brockovich

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#5 In The End Credits Of Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011), It Is Confirmed That While No Penguins Were Harmed During The Making Of The Movie, Jim Carrey Was Not So Fortunate

Image credits: VictorBlimpmuscle

#6 The Four Hobbit Actors From Lord Of The Rings (2003) All Confirmed On Podcasts That An Orc Leader’s Look Was Based On Harvey Weinstein

After he wanted Miramax to cut the trilogy down to one film (and all that other stuff) before a deal was made and New Line Cinema rescued the epic saga.

Image credits: strawberrybrooks

What sets apart a casual fan and a true fanatic is the knowledge that this was in some ways the least of the injuries suffered on set. Actor Sean Astin stepped on a piece of glass and punctured his foot when wading in a river scene, requiring him to be evacuated via helicopter from their remote shooting location in New Zealand. 

#7 Men In Black (1997) – The Language These Aliens Speak Together Is ‘Huttese’, The Language Jabba The Hutt Speaks In The Star Wars Films

Image credits: En_Jay_Ess

#8 When Liam Neeson Was Asked To Play The Antagonist In A Million Ways To Die In The West (2014) (Directed By Seth Mcfarlane) He Accepted Due To A Scene In Family Guy Where Peter Says “Imagine Liam Neeson In A Western! Ha! With That Funny Accent Of His!”

Image credits: DuctapeCat

#9 In Thor (2011) One Of The Asgardians Is Played By Walt Simonson. He Wrote The Thor Comic Book From 1983-1987

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

Given the practical effects and frequent stunts, it might not be surprising to learn that most actors in the Lord of the Rings films suffered at least some kind of injury. Orlando Bloom broke a rib falling off a horse, while others chipped teeth and received all sorts of bumps and bruises while filming the battle scenes. 

#10 In Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005), It’s Shown That Willy Wonka’s Distant Father Had Framed Highlights Of His Sons Life

This was inspired by a trip Tim Burton took to visit his dying mother in 2002. Despite their relationship being not great, she owned framed movie posters of all his films.

Image credits: FionaWalliceFan

#11 Watching Deadpool 2 (2018) And Noticed A Certain Supreme Court Justice’s Headshot In The Squad Interview Scene. None Other Than Ruth Bader Ginsburg In Consideration For A Spot On X-Force

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#12 In Encanto (2021), The Multicoloured Water Was Inspired By A Real Place In Colombia… The Caño Cristales River

The river is commonly called the “River of Five Colors” or the “Liquid Rainbow,” and is noted for its striking colors.

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

In general, filmmaking is such a massive and collaborative process that it’s no wonder that all of these creatives combined start to add their own little details. After all, from costumes, to props and sets, most background details are hand-made somewhere. Once you include the writers, director, actors and the hundreds of others involved, there is a lot of space to hide something interesting. 

#13 In Anastasia (1997), The Drawing That Anastasia Gives To Her Grandmother Is Based On A 1914 Painting Created By The Real Princess Anastasia

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#14 The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001). The Script For Sean Bean’s Council Of Elrond Speech Was Rewritten The Night Before Filming

Bean taped his lines to his knee so he could read them when needed. Some of the characters frustrated expressions in the scene are actually the actor glancing at his lines.

Image credits: Drowsy-Dragon-Knight

#15 In Die Hard (1988), Alan Rickman’s Petrified Expression While Falling Was Completely Genuine. The Stunt Team Instructed Him That They Would Drop Him On The Count Of 3 But Instead Dropped Him At 1

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#16 In Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) You Can See That Dobby The House Elf Became A Model For Gucci After The Harry Potter Series Wrapped

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#17 In The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Bruce Did Not Wear A Mask During The Masked Ball Scene. This Is Because He Considers Batman As His True Identity And “Bruce Wayne” As His Disguise In Public

 When Selina asked him “Who are you pretending to be? ” he replied “Bruce Wayne, eccentric billionaire”.

Image credits: TouyaShiun

#18 In Interstellar (2014) The Black Hole Was So Scientifically Accurate

It took approx 100 hours to render each frame in the physics and VFX engine. Meaning every second you see took approx 100 days to render the final copy.

Image credits: Jaz1140

#19 In Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Han Drops His Parka On The Floor When He Arrives At Starkiller Base

When He Leaves, Chewbacca Hands It Back To Him, And He Reacts With Confusion. This Part Was Improvised By Chewbacca’s Actor Joonas Suotamo, Who Went Off Script, Confusing Harrison Ford

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#20 This Design Of The Back Of This Ambulance In Joker (2019) Looks Familiar

Image credits: Olympus_XIII

#21 Michael Palin Came Up With The Idea To Use Coconuts In Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975) Because The Film Couldn’t Afford To Use Actual Horses

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#22 In Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker Says He Needs A “Strong Focus” Before Jumping Off A Building. He Lands On A Ford Focus Which Goes Undamaged

Image credits: Oriolebird9

#23 In A Beautiful Mind (2001), Marcee Runs Through A Group Of Birds…

She isn’t real. She is a hallucination, part of John’s schizophrenia. Therefore the birds don’t react to her presence and scatter

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#24 In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 (2018), The Old Couple Taking Photos Are The Parents Of James Gunn. They Are Credited As “Weird Old Man” And “Weird Old Man’s Mistress”

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#25 Last One For Tonight Guys, In The Beginning Of Joker (2019) There’s A Familiar Face In The Mirror

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#26 In Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), The Poolside Bartender Is Played By An Actor Credited Under The Nickname Dr. Toad, But His Real Name Was Robert Todd Williams, And He Was Robin Williams’ Older Brother. A Vintner By Trade In Real-Life, This Was His Only Film Appearance

Image credits: VictorBlimpmuscle

#27 For Interstellar, Christopher Nolan Planted 500 Acres Of Corn Just For The Film Because He Did Not Want To CGI The Farm In. After Filming, He Turned It Around And Sold The Corn And Made Back Profit For The Budget

Image credits: ZultarTeDestroyer

#28 In Kingpin (1996) Bill Murray Plays The Infamous Pro-Bowler Ernie Mccracken. In Addition To Improvising Nearly All Of His Lines, Murray Actually Bowled Three Strikes In A Row On Camera To A Live Audience In One Take. Their Thunderous Applause Was Real

Image credits: Celestial_Inferno

#29 Titanic – 1997 The Couple Shown In Bed Together Having Accepted Their Fate Is Isador And Ida Straus. They Were The Co Owners Of Macy’s. Ida Refused To Leave His Side When He Refused A Life Boat Spot B/C There Were Still Women And Children On Board. They Were Last Seen Walking Arm And Arm Together

Image credits: Longduckdon22

#30 In Thor: The Dark World (2013), Natalie Portman Couldn’t Make It To Reshoot The Final Kiss Scene. When Asked To Choose From A Lineup Of Women To Take Her Place. Chris Hemsworth Instead Brought In His Wife , Who Wore Natalie’s Clothes And Wig To Shoot The Final Kiss

Image credits: gamermainer

#31 In The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), You Can See Velma From Scooby-Doo In The Crowd

When asked why the other members of the gang weren’t included, the director said “In a post-apocalyptic world, Velma would have been the only one to have survived. The other kids wouldn’t have made it.”

Image credits: NubbyNob

#32 In “Moana” (2016), Maui’s Visual Appearance Is Partly Modeled On Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Grandfather, Samoan-American Professional Wrestler Peter Maivia

Image credits: themightyheptagon

#33 In Maleficent (2014), The Young Aurora Was Played By Angelina Jolie’s Daughter Vivienne

The 5-year-old got the part because she was the only child who wasn’t terrified of Jolie in her Maleficent makeup. Several other younger children auditioned and wouldn’t go near her.

Image credits: Tokyono

#34 In Deadpool 2 (2018), Wade Wears A Shirt That Says: “Olivia & Meredith. Best Friends Purrrr-Ever”. The Two Cats Actually Belong To Taylor Swift

The production crew had to get permission from her to use their image.

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#35 In The Truman Show (1998), The Identical Twins Are Played By Ron And Don Taylor, Two Police Officers Who Were Working On The Set As Security Guards

Director Peter Weir saw how friendly they were with the film’s cast and crew, so he hired them as actors.

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#36 In Pulp Fiction (1994) Tarantino’s Smiling Globe T-Shirt Is For A Detroit Magazine Called Orbit

They were the first magazine to ever interview him about being a filmmaker and he wore the shirt as a ‘thank you’ to them.

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#37 In Troy (2004), Brad Pitt And Eric Bana Did Not Use Stunt Doubles For Their Epic Duel

They made a gentleman’s agreement to pay for every accidental hit. $50 for each light hit, $100 for each hard blow. Pitt ended up paying Bana $750. Bana didn’t owe Pitt anything.

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#38 In Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007). Dumbledore’s Army: All The Girls Are Wearing Skirts Except Ginny (3rd From Left) Who Is Wearing Pants; Probably A Hand-Me-Down From Her Brothers. (Good Going Costume Department)

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#39 In Rocky (1976), When He Runs Through The Italian Marketplace, The People’s Amused Expressions As They Look On Is Genuine, As They Had No Idea Why A Man Was Running Back And Forth Being Followed By A Van. The Man Who Throws Him The Orange Was Completely Improvised

Image credits: Chief_DaVinci

#40 In Event Horizon, Sam Neill Requested That The Union Jack On An Australian Flag Patch Should Be Replaced With An Aboriginal Flag; The Way He Thought It’d Look In 2047

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#41 In A Bug’s Life (1999), The Queen Is Seen To Have A Pet Named “Aphie.” In Real Life, This Little Bug Is An Aphid (Also Known As Aphids) And They Live In Harmony With The Ants, But Not As Pets, But As “Livestock”

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#42 Chicha From The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) Is The First Pregnant Female Character To Appear In A Disney Animated Feature Film, According To The Dvd Commentary. She’s Also One Of The First Mother Characters In A Disney Film Not To Be Killed Off Or Villainized

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#43 In Hook (1991), The Flying Couple On The Bridge Is Actually George Lucas And Carrie Fisher. Carrie Even Worked On The Movie’s Script

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#44 The Horses Of The Nazgul In Lord Of The Rings (2001) Have The Eye Of Sauron On Their Chest Riding Gear

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#45 In Jaws (1975), The TV Reporter Is Played By Peter Benchly, The Author Of The Book

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#46 In Spider-Man (2002) After Recieving The News Of His Dismissal From The Board Of Oscorp, Norman Osborn Goes Through The Five Stages Of Grief In A Microcosm

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#47 In Finding Nemo (2003), Gill Is A Moorish Idol. This Species Is Known To Not Handle Captivity Well, So Him Being The One Who Constantly Comes Up With Escape Plans Makes Sense

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#48 In Toy Story 4 (2019), A Car Has The Licence Plate “Rmrf97”. In 1997, Someone At Pixar Accidentally Typed “Rm -R -F “, Deleting The Entire Toy Story 2 Movie From The Pixar Database. Fortunately, The Film’s Supervising Technical Director Had A Backup Copy At Home, And The Movie Was Restored

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#49 In Mulan (1998), Mulan Touches Her Hair A Lot Because The Animators Noticed That Mulan’s Voice Actor, Ming-Na Wen, Touched Her Hair A Lot While Recording. So, They Added It To The Character

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#50 In Zootopia (2016), Chief Bogo Wears Eyeglasses To Read Documents. This Is A Reference To The Fact That Buffalo Have Poor Eyesight. Confirmed By The Directors In A Q&a

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#51 In Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), These Rebel Soldiers Are Played By Mark Hamill’s Children. From Left To Right; Nathan Hamill, Chelsea Hamill, And Griffin Hamill

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#52 In Harry Potter (2007), Ralph Fiennes Asked For A Hook To Be Added To Voldemort’s Wand So That He Could Move More Fluidly And “Snake-Like” Without The Wand Falling From His Hand

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#53 In Zootopia (2016), Bellwether Is Wearing A Little Bell. In Real Life, A Bellwether Is The Leading Sheep Of A Flock, With A Bell Around Its Neck To Help Direct The Other Sheep

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#54 In The Movie Fargo (1996) Steve Buscemi’s Character, Carl, Delivers This Line When There Are Exactly 30 Minutes Of The Movie Remaining

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#55 N The Dark Knight (2008), Joker Is Constantly Licking His Lips. This Is Actually Because Of The Prosthetic Scars That Heath Ledger Wore

They kept falling off, so Heath would lick his lips to keep them in place. Gradually, it became a part of the Joker’s character.

Image credits: Russian_Bagel

#56 In Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002), Lucius Malfoy Slaps Draco’s Hand Onto His Cane. Jason Isaacs Didn’t Know There Were Small Fangs On The Top, So Tom Felton’s Pain Was Genuine

Image credits: reddit.com

#57 In The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), The Man Who’s Eaten By The T-Rex Because He Tried To Push On A “Pull” Door Is The Film’s Screenwriter, David Koepp. He Is Listed In The Credits As “Unlucky Bastard”

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#58 In Forrest Gump (1994), Because Forrest Is So Fast, Nobody Can Tackle Him, Making Him The Only Player On Either Team To Have A Spotless Uniform

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#59 In Uncharted (2022) Nathan Drake And Chloe Frazer (Tom Holland And Sophia Ali) Wash Up On A Beach And Meet A Stranger Who Says Something Similar Happened To Him Once. That Actor Is Nolan North, The Original Voice Actor For Nathan Drake In The Uncharted Video Games

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#60 Harry Potter Intros Become Darker Every Year, Just Like The Movies

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#61 In Titanic (1997) There Is A Scene Showing A Boy Playing With A Spinning Top On Deck. This Is Actually A Recreation Of A Real Photo Taken Onboard The Ship On April 11th, 1912 By Francis Browne. It Shows 1st Class Passenger Frederic Spedden And His 6 Year Old Son Douglas. Both Survived The Sinking

Image credits: KawaiiPotato15

#62 In Goodfellas (1990), Robert De Niro Didn’t Like How Fake Money Felt In His Hand And Insisted Using Real Money

So the prop master withdrew several thousand dollars of his own money to use. At the end of each take, no one was allowed to leave the set until all the money was returned & counted.

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#63 Some Good Advice In The End Credits Of The Naked Gun (1988)

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#64 In Boheiam Rhapsody (2018),the Trucker That Eyes Freddie Is Played By Singer Adam Lambert. Since 2011, He Has Been Touring With Queen As Their Frontman

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#65 In The Truman Show (1998), The Couple At The Table Are Daryl Davis And Robert Davis, They Are The Founders Of Seaside, The Town Where The Movie Was Filmed. They Agreed To Give Filming Permission, In Return For A Cameo

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#66 In The Little Mermaid (1989), You Can See The King And His Advisor From Cinderella (1950) At The Wedding

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#67 In 12 Monkeys (1995) Director Terry Gilliam Was Afraid That Brad Pitt Wouldn’t Be Able To Pull Off The Nervous, Rapid Speech. He Sent Him To A Speech Coach But In The End He Just Took Away Pitt’s Cigarettes, And Pitt Played The Part Exactly As Gilliam Wanted

Image credits: O_Shack

#68 In Jaws (1975) – Quint Goes To Hunt The Shark In His Boat Orca. Orcas In Real Life, Otherwise Known As Killer Whales, Actively Hunt Great White Sharks To Kill Them

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#69 In Zootopia (2016), Mr Big, The Mafia Boss, Is An Arctic Shrew. Director Roy Moore Made This Choice Because “The Arctic Shrew Is The Most Vicious Predator On Earth”. Arctic Shrews Eat Three Times Their Own Body Weight And Even Eat Other Shrews

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#70 In Brave (2012), You Can See Merida And Her Mother Hidden In The Logo Of The Movie. Look At The Top Left Of The B And E

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#71 In Knives Out (2019), Ransom’s Sweater Has A Ripped Collar And Several Noticeable Holes

The costume designer added this detail to show Ransom’s nonchalance towards his wealth and disrespect for his family. 

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#72 In Knives Out (2019), K Callan, Who Plays Great Nana Wanetta, Is Actually Six Years Younger Than Christopher Plummer, Who Plays Her Son Harlan

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#73 In Frozen/Frozen 2 (2013/2019), The Only Time Olaf Bends His Elbows Is During His Own Dreams/Fantasy (See: “In Summer”). Otherwise, His Arms Are Always Straight, As Real Twigs Would Be

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#74 In Despicable Me (2010), The Number On Gru’s Ticket Is 072069. Aka July 20th 1969, The Date Of The First Moon Landing (Which Gru Watched In A Flashback)

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#75 In The Opening Scene Of Forrest Gump (1994), His Shoes Are Worn Out From Running Across The Country For Years, But He Wouldn’t Get Rid Of “The Best Gift You Could Get In The Wide World” From Jenny. But He Kept The Laces Fresh To Keep Them Operable

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#76 In Luca (2021), The First Time Luca Stands On Land He Exhibits A Medical Finding Called Gower’s Sign. Classically Seen In Patients With Muscular Dystrophy, It Is Due To A Lack Of Strength In The Hip And Thigh Muscles Causing The Patient To “Walk” Up Their Body To Stand From A Seated Position

Image credits: TheHornChemist

#77 When Kevin Goes Through Buzz’s Things, He Finds A Picture Of His Girlfriend. He Says “Woof,” Implying That She’s A Dog. Director, Chris Columbus, Thought It Would Be Too Mean To Ask A Real Young Girl To Be In The Photograph So He Asked The Film’s Art Director To Have His Son Dress Up As A Girl

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#78 In Knives Out (2019), The Type Of Phone That A Character Uses Hints At Their Guilt Or Innocence

Apple doesn’t let villains use iPhones on camera. Ransom, the murderer, doesn’t use an iphone

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#79 In Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), The Blond Man On The Right Is Gal Gadot’s Husband, Yaron Varsano. And The Little Girl Is Maya, Their Younger Daughter

Image credits: Numerous-Lemon

#80 In The Matrix (1999) The Way Neo And Morpheus Attack Each Other With The Same Move, Their Clothes And Head/Hair Forms The Ying-Yang Symbol

Image credits: lesi20

Source: boredpanda.com